Cricoid injury complicating excision of thyroglossal duct cyst

Abstract The Sistrunk procedure is the treatment of choice for thyroglossal duct cyst excision (TGDC) due to its low recurrence rate and incidence of minor complications. Given the proximity of TGDC to the airway, injury to the laryngotracheal cartilages during this procedure is possible. We report a case of a 2-year-old girl transferred to our institution who had a cricoid cartilage injury during a Sistrunk procedure. The pattern of injury, its treatment and outcome in our patient, as well as preventative measures are described. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing injury to the cricoid cartilage following this procedure.